Magnetic resonance-positron emission tomography imaging apparatus

ABSTRACT

An MR-PET apparatus is provided. The MR-PET apparatus may include a supporting component, a PET detection device, an RF coil, and a signal shielding component. The PET detection device may be supported on the supporting component. The PET detection device may be configured to receive a plurality of photons. The RF coil may be configured to generate or receive a radio frequency (RF) signal. The signal shielding component may be placed between the PET detection device and the RF coil. The signal shielding component may be configured to shield the PET detection device from at least part of the RF signal.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No.201810045327.9 filed on Jan. 17, 2018, and Chinese Patent ApplicationNo. 201822259323.9 filed on Dec. 30, 2018, the entire contents of eachof which are hereby incorporated by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This present disclosure relates to an imaging apparatus, and moreparticularly, relates to a magnetic resonance (MR)-positron emissiontomography (PET) imaging apparatus.

BACKGROUND

Magnetic resonance (MR)-positron emission tomography (PET) is a hybridimaging technique that incorporates both MR (e.g., a soft tissuemorphological imaging technique) and PET (e.g., a functional imagingtechnique). In a conventional MR-PET imaging apparatus, components of aPET imaging apparatus (e.g., one or more PET detection devices) andcomponents of an MR imaging apparatus (e.g., an RF coil, a main magnet,a gradient magnet) may be integrated. For example, a PET detectiondevice may be mounted on a supporting component (e.g., a cylindricalsupporting component), and placed between an RF coil and a gradientmagnet of the MR system.

In order to ensure that the PET detection device is stably mounted andremains relatively static during use, the supporting component in theconventional MR-PET imaging apparatus may be made of a material withhigh strength. However, materials with high strength usually have a highattenuation rate of gamma rays (e.g., the particles detected by the PETdetection devices) and significantly reduce the accuracy of image datagenerated by the PET detection devices. Furthermore, as the RF coil andthe PET detection devices in the MR-PET imaging apparatus often worksimultaneously, the inference or coupling between the RF coil and thePET detection device may occur and reduce the performance of either orboth of the RF coil and the PET detection device.

Therefore, it is desirable to provide an MR-PET imaging apparatus thatmay stably hold the PET detection device without significantly reducingthe accuracy of signals detected by the PET detection devices and alsoreduce or eliminate the inference or coupling between an RF coil and thePET detection device.

SUMMARY

According to an aspect of the present disclosure, an MR-PET apparatus isprovided. The MR-PET apparatus may include a supporting component, a PETdetection device, an RF coil, and a signal shielding component. The PETdetection device may be supported on the supporting component. The PETdetection device may be configured to receive a plurality of photons.The RF coil may be configured to generate or receive a radio frequency(RF) signal. The signal shielding component may be placed between thePET detection device and the RF coil. The signal shielding component maybe configured to shield the PET detection device from at least part ofthe RF signal.

In some embodiments, the supporting component may include a firstsection and a second section. The second section may have a lowerattenuation rate of the photons than the first section. The PETdetection device may be positioned such that at least a portion of theplurality of photons penetrate through the second section and reach thedetection device.

In some embodiments, the supporting component including the firstsection and the second section may be an integral body. The secondsection may be thinner than the first section.

In some embodiments, the first section and the second section may bemade of carbon fiber or glass fiber.

In some embodiments, the supporting component may further include anauxiliary supporting body mechanically attached to the second section.

In some embodiments, the auxiliary supporting body may be made of a foammaterial or a honeycomb material.

In some embodiments, the auxiliary supporting body may have a lowerattenuation rate of photons than the first section and the secondsection.

In some embodiments, the signal shielding component may be made of oneor more electrically conductive materials.

In some embodiments, the signal shielding component may include ashielding layer mechanically attached to at least part of an externalsurface of the PET detection device.

In some embodiments, the signal shielding component may include ashielding layer having a first side and a second side. The first side ofthe shielding layer may be mechanically attached to the RF coil and thesecond side of the shielding layer may be mechanically attached to thePET detection device.

In some embodiments, the RF coil may include a first count of coilunits. The PET detection device may include a second count of detectionunits. The first count may be the same as the second count.

In some embodiments, the signal shielding component may include a thirdcount of shielding units. The third count may be the same as the firstcount or the second count. Each of the coil units may be paired with oneof the shielding units. Each pair of a coil unit and a shielding unitmay be installed on a connection board unit. Each connection board unitmay be mechanically attached to one of the detection unit.

In some embodiments, the signal shielding component may include ashielding layer having a first side and a second side. The first side ofthe shielding layer may be mechanically attached to the RF coil. Thesecond side of the shielding layer may be mechanically attached to thesupporting component.

In some embodiments, the MR-PET apparatus may include an electricalinsulation component placed between the RF coil and the signal shieldingcomponent. The electrical insulation component may be configured toelectrically insulate the RF coil from the signal shielding component.

In some embodiments, at least one of the signal shielding component, theRF coil, or an electrical insulation component may be integrated on asame circuit board.

In some embodiments, the PET detection device may include a plurality ofdetection units. The plurality of detection units may be arranged in aring shape.

In some embodiments, the RF coil may include at least one of a dipolecoil, a birdcage coil, a transverse electromagnetic coil, a loop coil,or a surface coil.

In some embodiments, the signal shielding component may have aconfiguration of a film or a mesh.

In some embodiments, the MR-PET apparatus may include a gantry. Thegantry may be configured to hold at least one of the supportingcomponent, the PET detection device, the RF coil, or the signalshielding component. An inner surface of the gantry may form a detectionregion. The detection region may be configured to accommodate an object.

In some embodiments, the MR-PET apparatus may further include a mainmagnet configured to generate a main magnetic field, and a gradientmagnet configured to generate magnetic field gradients.

Additional features will be set forth in part in the description whichfollows, and in part will become apparent to those skilled in the artupon examination of the following and the accompanying drawings or maybe learned by production or operation of the examples. The features ofthe present disclosure may be realized and attained by practice or useof various aspects of the methodologies, instrumentalities andcombinations set forth in the detailed examples discussed below.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present disclosure is further described in terms of exemplaryembodiments. These exemplary embodiments are described in detail withreference to the drawings. These embodiments are non-limiting exemplaryembodiments, in which like reference numerals represent similarstructures throughout the several views of the drawings, and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of an exemplary MR-PET apparatusaccording to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is an axial sectional view of an exemplary MR-PET apparatusaccording to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an exemplary supporting componentaccording to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 4 is an axial sectional view of a part of an exemplary supportingcomponent according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 5 is an axial sectional view of an exemplary connection between aPET detection device and a supporting component according to someembodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 6 is an axial view of an exemplary connection between a PETdetection device and a connection board according to some embodiments ofthe present disclosure;

FIG. 7 is an axial sectional view of an exemplary MR-PET apparatusaccording to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 8 is an axial sectional view of an exemplary MR-PET apparatusaccording to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 9 is an axial sectional view of an exemplary MR-PET apparatusaccording to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 10 is an axial sectional view of an exemplary MR-PET apparatusaccording to some embodiments of the present disclosure; and

FIG. 11 is an axial sectional view of an exemplary MR-PET apparatusaccording to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following detailed description, numerous specific details are setforth by way of examples in order to provide a thorough understanding ofthe relevant disclosure. However, it should be apparent to those skilledin the art that the present disclosure may be practiced without suchdetails. In other instances, well-known methods, procedures, systems,components, and/or circuitry have been described at a relativelyhigh-level, without detail, in order to avoid unnecessarily obscuringaspects of the present disclosure. Various modifications to thedisclosed embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in theart, and the general principles defined herein may be applied to otherembodiments and applications without departing from the spirit and scopeof the present disclosure. Thus, the present disclosure is not limitedto the embodiments shown, but to be accorded the widest scope consistentwith the claims.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particularembodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of exampleembodiments of the invention. As used herein, the singular forms “a,”“an,” and “the,” are intended to include the plural forms as well,unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. As used herein, theterms “and/or” and “at least one of” include any and all combinations ofone or more of the associated listed items. It will be furtherunderstood that the terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “includes,” and/or“including,” when used herein, specify the presence of stated features,integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do notpreclude the presence or addition of one or more other features,integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groupsthereof. Also, the term “exemplary” is intended to refer to an exampleor illustration.

It will be understood that the terms “system,” “engine,” “unit,”“module,” and/or “block” used herein are one method to distinguishdifferent components, elements, parts, sections or assembly of differentlevels in ascending order. However, the terms may be displaced byanother expression if they achieve the same purpose.

Generally, the word “module,” “unit,” or “block,” as used herein, refersto logic embodied in hardware or firmware, or to a collection ofsoftware instructions. A module, a unit, or a block described herein maybe implemented as software and/or hardware and may be stored in any typeof non-transitory computer-readable medium or another storage device. Insome embodiments, a software module/unit/block may be compiled andlinked into an executable program. It will be appreciated that softwaremodules can be callable from other modules/units/blocks or fromthemselves, and/or may be invoked in response to detected events orinterrupts. Software modules/units/blocks configured for execution oncomputing devices may be provided on a computer-readable medium, such asa compact disc, a digital video disc, a flash drive, a magnetic disc, orany other tangible medium, or as a digital download (and can beoriginally stored in a compressed or installable format that needsinstallation, decompression, or decryption prior to execution). Suchsoftware code may be stored, partially or fully, on a storage device ofthe executing computing device, for execution by the computing device.Software instructions may be embedded in firmware, such as an EPROM. Itwill be further appreciated that hardware modules/units/blocks may beincluded in connected logic components, such as gates and flip-flops,and/or can be included of programmable units, such as programmable gatearrays or processors. The modules/units/blocks or computing devicefunctionality described herein may be implemented as softwaremodules/units/blocks, but may be represented in hardware or firmware. Ingeneral, the modules/units/blocks described herein refer to logicalmodules/units/blocks that may be combined with othermodules/units/blocks or divided into sub-modules/sub-units/sub-blocksdespite their physical organization or storage. The description may beapplicable to a system, an engine, or a portion thereof.

It will be understood that the terms “layer,” “surface,” “groove,”“ring,” etc. when used in this disclosure, refer to one or more partswith one or more specific purposes. However, a structure that mayperform a same or similar function compared to a part exemplified aboveor referred to elsewhere in the present disclosure may be nameddifferently from the present disclosure.

It will be understood that, although the terms “first,” “second,”“third,” etc., may be used herein to describe various elements, theseelements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only usedto distinguish one element from another. For example, a first elementcould be termed a second element, and, similarly, a second element couldbe termed a first element, without departing from the scope of exemplaryembodiments of the present disclosure.

It will be understood that an “inner surface” may refer to a surfacethat is close to or faces a scanned object and an “outer surface” mayrefer to a surface that is away from or opposite to a scanned object. An“external surface” may refer to a surface that is exposed to air orcontact surfaces of another component and an “internal surface” mayrefer to a surface that is not exposed to air or invisible from theoutside.

Spatial and functional relationships between elements (for example,between layers) are described using various terms, including“connected,” “attached,” and “mounted.” Unless explicitly described asbeing “direct,” when a relationship between first and second elements isdescribed in the present disclosure, that relationship includes a directrelationship where no other intervening elements are present between thefirst and second elements, and also an indirect relationship where oneor more intervening elements are present (either spatially orfunctionally) between the first and second elements. In contrast, whenan element is referred to as being “directly” connected, attached, orpositioned to another element, there are no intervening elementspresent. Other words used to describe the relationship between elementsshould be interpreted in a like fashion (e.g., “between,” versus“directly between,” “adjacent,” versus “directly adjacent,” etc.).

It should also be understood that terms such as “top,” “bottom,”“upper,” “lower,” “vertical,” “lateral” “above,” “below,” “upward(s),”“downward(s),” “left-hand side” “right-hand side” “horizontal,” andother such spatial reference terms are used in a relative sense todescribe the positions or orientations of certainsurfaces/parts/components of the MR-PET apparatus in relationship toother such features of the MR-PET apparatus when the MR-PET apparatus isin a normal operating position and may change if the position ororientation of the MR-PET apparatus changes.

These and other features, and characteristics of the present disclosure,as well as the methods of operation and functions of the relatedelements of structure and the combination of parts and economies ofmanufacture, may become more apparent upon consideration of thefollowing description with reference to the accompanying drawings, allof which form a part of this disclosure. It is to be expresslyunderstood, however, that the drawings are for the purpose ofillustration and description only and are not intended to limit thescope of the present disclosure. It is understood that the drawings arenot to scale.

For illustration purposes, the following description is provided to helpbetter understanding an imaging process. It is understood that this isnot intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. For personshaving ordinary skills in the art, a certain amount of variations,changes and/or modifications may be deducted under the guidance of thepresent disclosure. Those variations, changes and/or modifications donot depart from the scope of the present disclosure.

An aspect of the present disclosure relates to an MR-PET apparatus. TheMR-PET apparatus may include a supporting component, a PET detectiondevice, an RF coil, a signal shielding component, or the like. Thesignal shielding component may be an integral body that includes a firstsection and a second section. The first section and the second sectionmay be made of a same material. The second section may include a groove.The thickness of the second section may be less than the thickness ofthe first section so that the second section may have a lowerattenuation rate of photon rays than the first section. Photonsgenerated by an object may penetrate through the second section andimpinge on the PET detection device. The RF coil may generate a radiofrequency (RF) signal to the object. The signal shielding component maybe placed between the RF coil and the PET detection device. The signalshielding component may shield the PET detection device from at leastpart of the RF signal generated by the RF coil so as to reduce, e.g.,inference or coupling between the PET detection device and the RF coil.

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of an exemplary MR-PET apparatusaccording to some embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 is anaxial sectional view of an exemplary MR-PET apparatus according to someembodiments of the present disclosure. In some embodiments, the MR-PETapparatus 100 may be an apparatus for generating an MR image and/or aPET image of an object. The MR image and/or the PET image may begenerated individually or concurrently. The object may include abiological object and/or a non-biological object. The biological objectmay include a human being, an animal, a plant, or a portion thereof(e.g., a cell, a tissue, an organ, etc.). The non-biological object mayinclude a radioactive ore, an antique, etc. In the present disclosure,“object” and “subject” are used interchangeably. As shown in FIG. 1, theMR-PET apparatus 100 may include a shell 110, a magnet assembly 120, aPET detection device 130, a supporting component 140, an RF coil 150,and a signal shielding component 170.

The shell 110 may be configured to protect one or more components (e.g.,the magnet assembly 120, the PET detection device 130, the supportingcomponent 140, the RF coil 150, the signal shielding component 170) ofthe MR-PET apparatus 100.

The magnet assembly 120 may configured to generate a static mainmagnetic field in the detection region 160. The magnet assembly 120 maybe of various types including, for example, a permanent magnet, asuperconducting electromagnet, a resistive electromagnet, etc. Themagnet assembly 120 may have any magnetic field intensity, for example,0.2 Tesla, 0.5 Tesla, 1.0 Tesla, 1.5 Tesla, and 3.0 Tesla.

A gradient magnet may generate magnetic field gradients to the mainmagnetic field in the X, Y, and/or Z directions (or axes). In someembodiments, the gradient magnet may include an X-direction (or axis)coil, a Y-direction (or axis) coil, a Z-direction (or axis) coil, etc.For example, the Z-direction coil may be designed based on a circular(Maxwell) coil configuration, while the X-direction coil and theY-direction coil may be designed based on the saddle (Golay) coilconfiguration. In some embodiments, the gradient magnet may form part ofthe magnet assembly 120. Alternatively, the gradient magnet may beindependent of the magnet assembly 120.

The PET detection device 130 may be configured to detect signals, forexample, attenuated radioactive rays, radiation events, etc. Forexample, the signals may be gamma photons emitted by the object. Inparticular, a radioactive tracer (e.g., fluorine-18) may be introducedinto the object to be scanned. The radioactive tracer may decay and emitpositrons. The positrons may encounter with electrons of the object andproduce a pair of annihilation photons (e.g., gamma photons). Merely byway of example, the crystals of the PET detection device 130 maygenerate an optical signal in response to the detected signals. Theoptical signal may be converted to an electric signal by a photoelectricconverter. A PET image may be generated based on the electric signal.

In some embodiments, the PET detection device 130 may include aplurality of detection units (e.g., detection units 230 as illustratedin FIG. 2). The plurality of detection units may be arranged around thesupporting component 140. The arrangement of the plurality of detectionunits may correspond to the shape of the supporting component 140. Forexample, the supporting component 140 may have a ring shape and thedetection units may be uniformly arranged around the outer surface ofthe supporting component 140 as a detection ring (as shown in FIG. 1).Similarly, the detection units may be arranged along an arc, arectangle, a triangle, or a curved array, etc. As used herein, the outersurface of the supporting component 140 may refer to a surface of thesupporting component 140 that is away from the object being scanned.

The supporting component 140 may be configured to support one or morecomponents of the MR-PET apparatus 100, such as the PET detection device130. The supporting component 140 may be a cylindrical structure, asshown in FIG. 1. In some embodiments, the supporting component 140 mayinclude a first section and a second section. The second section mayhave a lower attenuation rate of the photons (also referred to as photonrays or photon beams) than the first section. In some embodiments, thefirst section and the second section may be made of a same material. Thethickness of the second section may be less than the thickness of thefirst section (e.g., the second section may include a groove). In someembodiments, an auxiliary supporting body may be connected to the secondsection. The strength of the auxiliary supporting body may be less thanthe strength of the first section and/or the second section. Theauxiliary supporting body may have a lower attenuation rate of thephoton rays than the first section and/or the second section. Moredescriptions of the supporting component 140 may be found elsewhere inthe present disclosure (e.g., FIGS. 3, 4, 5, and descriptions thereof).

In some embodiments, the PET detection device 130 may be supported onthe supporting component 140. For example, the PET detection device 130may be positioned such that at least a portion of the plurality ofphotons penetrate through the second section of the supporting component140 and reach the PET detection device 130 such that the attenuation ofthe photons may be small. More descriptions of the position of the PETdetection device 130 may be found elsewhere in the present disclosure(e.g., FIG. 5 and descriptions thereof).

The RF coil 150 may emit radiofrequency (RF) pulses (or RF signals) toand/or receive RF signals from an object being scanned. As used herein,an RF pulse may include an excitation RF pulse and a refocusing RFpulse. The RF coil 150 may include a quotient difference (QD) orthogonalcoil and/or a phase-array coil. In some embodiments, the RF coil 150 mayinclude a plurality of different types of RF coils. The different typesof RF coils 150 may be used for the scanning of different parts of theobject. For example, the different types of RF coils 150 may include ahead coil specialized for the scanning of the head of the object, a kneejoint coil specialized for the scanning of a knee joint of the object,etc. The RF coil 150 may include a volume coil and/or a local coil. Forexample, the volume coil may include a dipole coil, a birdcage coil, atransverse electromagnetic coil, a loop coil, a surface coil, etc. Thelocal coil may include a solenoid coil, a saddle coil, a flexible coil,etc.

In some embodiments, the RF coil 150 may include a plurality of coilunits (e.g., a coil unit 220 as illustrated in FIG. 2). The plurality ofcoil units may be arranged around the supporting component 140 in asuitable configuration. For example, the plurality of coil units may bearranged around the inner surface of the supporting component 140. Asused herein, the inner surface of the supporting component 140 may referto a surface of the supporting component 140 that faces the object beingscanned. In some embodiments, each coil unit may correspond to one ormore of the detection units of the PET detection device 130. The number(or count) of the coil units may be the same as or different from thenumber (or count) of the detection units. For example, each coil unit(e.g., the coil unit 220) may correspond to a detection unit (e.g., thedetection unit 230) of the PET detection device 130, as illustrated inFIG. 2. In other words, the plurality of coil units may be uniformlyarranged around the inner surface of the supporting component 140corresponding to the uniformly arranged detection units. Accordingly,the RF signal transmitted from the RF coil 150 to the object may beuniform, which may ensure a good quality of an RF signal and a goodquality of an MR image of the object.

As another example, each coil unit may correspond to two or moredetection units of the PET detection device 130 (as illustrated in FIG.1). The plurality of coil units may be spaced apart from each other. Insome embodiments, the plurality of coil sub-units may be uniformlyarranged around the supporting component 140 about the Z direction(into/out of the page as illustrated in FIG. 1 or along the long axis ofa gantry of the MR-PET apparatus 100). Accordingly, the RF signalsemitted by the RF coil 150 may be transmitted to the object in multipledirections. Hence the performance of the RF coil 150 may be improved.

In some embodiments, the MR-PET apparatus 100 may further include asignal shielding component 170 placed between the PET detection device130 and the RF coil 150. The signal shielding component 170 may beconfigured to shield the PET detection device 130 from at least part ofRF signals generated by the RF coil 150. For example, as the RF signalsemitted by the RF coil 150 are transmitted in multiple directions, atleast part of the RF signal may be transmitted in a direction to the PETdetection device 130. The signal shielding component 170 may shield orblock the at least part of the RF signals from reaching the PETdetection device. Alternatively or additionally, the signal shieldingcomponent 170 may reduce the strength of the at least part of the RFsignals such that the strength of the RF signals that penetrate throughthe signal shielding component 170 does not harm or cause inference tothe PET detection device 130. The signal shielding component 170 mayeliminate or reduce an interference (e.g., a coupling) between the RFcoil 150 and the PET detection device 130. For example, the signalshielding component 170 may protect the PET detection device 130 from RFsignal interferences caused by the RF coil 150. As another example, thesignal shielding component 170 may protect the RF coil 150 from PETsignal interferences caused by the PET detection device 130 or thephotons from the radiation events of the PET imaging.

In some embodiments, the signal shielding component 170 may include oneor more shielding layers attached to at least part of an externalsurface of the PET detection device 130. In some embodiments, theshielding layer may be attached to an inner surface of the PET detectiondevice 130 that faces the RF coil 150. Alternatively or additionally,the shielding layer(s) may be attached to all external surfaces of thePET detection device 130 to ensure a good shielding effect between theRF coil 150 and the PET detection device 130 and high sensitivity of thePET detection device 130. For example, the PET detection device 130 maybe a cuboid, and the shielding layers may be attached to all sixsurfaces of the PET detection device 130 (as shown in FIG. 7). In someembodiments, the shielding layers attached to different surfaces of thePET detection device 130 may be of different sizes, thicknesses, and/orshapes.

In some embodiments, the shielding layer may include a first side and asecond side. As used herein, the first side may refer to a side thatfaces the object, and the second side may refer to a side that is awayfrom the object, or vice versa. The first side of the shielding layermay be attached to the RF coil 150 and the second side of the shieldinglayer may be attached to the PET detection device 130 (as illustrated inFIG. 6 and FIG. 9). In some embodiments, the first side of the shieldinglayer may be attached to the RF coil 150 and the second side of theshielding layer may be attached to the supporting component 140 (asillustrated in FIG. 8). More descriptions of the position of the signalshielding component 170 may be found elsewhere in the present disclosure(e.g., FIGS. 6-9, and descriptions thereof).

The signal shielding component 170 may be made of at least oneelectrically conductive material. Suitable electrically conductivematerials may include a metal, a metal oxide, an alloy, rubber,graphite, a semiconductor, a composite polymer, or the like, or anycombination thereof. The signal shielding component 170 may have anysuitable two-dimensional (2D) or three-dimensional (3D) configuration.For example, the signal shielding component 170 may have theconfiguration of a film, a mesh, or the like, or any combinationthereof. In some embodiments, the signal shielding component 170 may bea metal film (e.g., a copper film), a metal plate, a sprayed metal layeror coating, or the like. As another example, the signal shieldingcomponent 170 may be a metal mesh.

In some embodiments, the signal shielding component 170 (e.g., aconductive metal film) may be attached to the PET detection device 130and/or the supporting component 140 by any suitable technique, e.g.,spin coating, dip coating, screen printing, transfer coating,sputtering, physical vapor deposition, chemical vapor deposition, or thelike, or any combination thereof. In some embodiments, the signalshielding component (e.g., a metal mesh) may be assembled onto the PETdetection device 130 and/or the supporting component 140 via anadhesive. In some embodiments, the MR-PET apparatus 100 may furtherinclude an electrical insulation component (not shown in FIG. 1) placedbetween the RF coil 150 and the signal shielding component 170.

In some embodiments, at least one of the signal shielding component 170,the insulation component, and the RF coil 150 may be integrated on asame circuit board (e.g., a printed circuit board (PCB)). The integratedcircuit board (also referred to as a connection board) may bemechanically attached to the inner surface of the PET detection device130. More descriptions of the connection board may be found elsewhere inthe present disclosure (e.g., FIG. 6, and descriptions thereof).

The connection board described in the present disclosure may integratethe PET detection device 130 with the RF coil 150. Accordingly, asupporting structure for the RF coil 150 may be omitted, which may makefull use of the space in the MR-PET apparatus 100. The space foraccommodating the PET detection device 130, the signal shieldingcomponent, and the RF coil 150 may be reduced, thereby avoiding anexcessive size of other components (e.g., the magnet assembly 120) ofthe MR-PET apparatus 100. Accordingly, the cost may be saved. Thescanning space in the MR-PET apparatus 100 for housing a patient is notreduced due to the integration of the PET detection device 130 and theMR imaging device, thereby making the patient feel more comfortableduring a scanning process. In addition, the attenuation of the gammaphotons reaching the PET detection device 130 may also be alleviated dueto the omission of a support structure of the RF coil 150, therebyimproving the sensitivity of the PET detection device 130.

In some embodiments, the MR-PET apparatus 100 may further include agantry (not shown in FIG. 1), configured to support one or morecomponents of the MR-PET apparatus 100, (e.g., the shell 110, the magnetassembly 120, the PET detection device 130, the supporting component140, the RF coil 150, the signal shielding component 170). In someembodiments, the inner surface of the gantry may form a detection region160 (or referred to as a detection channel, scanning channel, orscanning space). The object to be scanned may be placed on a scanningtable (not shown in FIG. 1) and moved along the Z-direction to a desiredposition in the detection region 160 and be scanned (e.g., undergoing anMR scan and/or a PET scan).

It should be noted that the MR-PET apparatus 100 shown in FIG. 1 ismerely provided for the purposes of illustration, and not intended tolimit the scope of the present disclosure. For persons having ordinaryskills in the art, multiple variations and modifications may be madeunder the teachings of the present disclosure. However, those variationsand modifications do not depart from the scope of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an exemplary supporting componentaccording to some embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 4 is anaxial sectional view of a part of an exemplary supporting componentaccording to some embodiments of the present disclosure. In someembodiments, the supporting component 300 may correspond to thesupporting component 140 or a portion thereof. As shown in FIG. 3, thesupporting component 300 may include at least one first section 310(e.g., two first sections 310 as shown in FIG. 3) and a second section320.

In some embodiments, the first section 310 and the second section 320may be made of a same material or different materials. As shown in FIG.4, the thickness of the first section 310 may be greater than thethickness of the second section 320. For example, the second section 320may be formed by making a groove or indentation (e.g., a groove 420) onthe supporting component 300. The groove (or indentation) may be formedon the outer surface (e.g., a surface away from the object during use)and/or the inner surface (e.g., a surface facing the object during use)of the supporting component 300. As the thickness of the second section320 is less than the thickness of the first section 310, the secondsection 320 may have a lower attenuation rate of the photons than thefirst section 310. In other words, signals detected by the PET detectiondevice (e.g., the PET detection device 130) resulting from the photonsthat penetrate through the second section 320 may be more accurate thanthe signals resulting from the photons that penetrate through the firstsection 310.

In some embodiments, an auxiliary supporting body (e.g., the auxiliarysupporting body 560) may be placed in the groove (or indentation) of thesecond section 320 of the supporting component 300 (as shown in FIG. 5).The width of the second section 320 may be greater than or equal to thewidth of the auxiliary supporting body. The thickness of the auxiliarysupporting body may be (roughly) the same as the difference between thethickness of the first section 310 and the thickness of the secondsection 320, or the depth of the groove (or indentation) where theauxiliary supporting body is located on the supporting component 300.

The first section 310 and/or the second section may be made of anysuitable material that has high strength and/or stability to provide astable support for the PET detection device (e.g., the PET detectiondevice 130). For example, the first section 310 and/or the secondsection 320 may be made of, for example, glass fiber, carbon fiber, etc.The auxiliary supporting body may be made of any suitable material thathas lower structural strength and/or a lower attenuation rate of photonsthan the first section 310 and/or the second section 320. For example,the auxiliary supporting body may be made of a foam material, ahoneycomb material, etc.

It should be noted that the supporting component shown in FIGS. 3 and 4is merely provided for the purposes of illustration, and not intended tolimit the scope of the present disclosure. For persons having ordinaryskills in the art, multiple variations and modifications may be madeunder the teachings of the present disclosure. However, those variationsand modifications do not depart from the scope of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 5 is an axial sectional view of an exemplary connection between aPET detection device and a supporting component according to someembodiments of the present disclosure. In some embodiments, thesupporting component 500 may correspond to the supporting component 140,the supporting component 300, or a portion thereof. The PET detectiondevice may correspond to the PET detection device 130, or a portionthereof. The supporting component 500 may correspond to the supportingcomponent 140, the supporting component 300, or a portion thereof.

As shown in FIG. 5, the supporting component 500 may include a firstsection 510 and a second section 520. The second section 520 may beformed by making a groove (or indentation) on the outer surface (e.g.,the surface away from the object during use) of the supporting component500. An auxiliary supporting body 560 may be placed in the groove (orindentation) of the second section 520 of the supporting component 500.The width of the auxiliary supporting body may be (roughly) equal to thewidth of the second section 520 (or the groove or indentation).

In some embodiments, a PET detection device 530 may be positioned suchthat at least a portion of the plurality of photons may penetratethrough the second section 520 and reach the PET detection device 530.In some embodiments, the width of the PET detection device 530 may beless than or equal to the width of the second section 520, which mayensure that most or all of the photons reaching the PET detection device530 penetrate through the second section 520.

In some embodiments, the auxiliary supporting body 560 may bemechanically attached to the second section 520 in any suitable mannerto prevent the auxiliary supporting body from being inadvertently orunintentionally detached from the second section 520. For example, theauxiliary supporting body 560 may be mechanically attached to the secondsection 520 using a chemical (e.g., an adhesive), a mechanical component(e.g., a nail, a screw, a nut), or the like, or any combination thereof.In some embodiments, the auxiliary supporting body 560 may be adhesivelyattached to the second section 520 of the supporting component 500,which may provide a stable and reliable connection between the auxiliarysupporting body and the second section 520. In some embodiments, eventhough the auxiliary supporting body 560 is made of a material withrelatively low strength, the tight attachment of the auxiliarysupporting body 560 to the groove (or indentation) of the second section520 may provide a good overall strength of the supporting component 500(e.g., against torques or bends) without significantly increasing theattenuation rate of photons. Compared with a supporting component ofwhich the first section and the second section are of the same thicknessand without the auxiliary supporting body 560, the strength of thesupporting component 500 may be slightly less, but, the attenuation rateof photons of the supporting component 500 may be significantly lower.

The PET detection device 530 may be mounted on the supporting component500 in any suitable manner. For example, the PET detection device 530may include one or more mounting devices 540. The mounting device 540may be configured to facilitate the installation of the PET detectiondevice 530 on the supporting component 500. Merely by way of example,the mounting devices 540 may include mounting boards with through holes.The mounting devices 540 may be mounted on both ends of the PETdetection device 530. One or more screws 550 may be screwed into thethrough holes of the mounting device 540 and mount the PET detectiondevice 530 on the supporting component 500.

It should be noted that the connection between the PET detection deviceand the supporting component shown in FIG. 5 is merely provided for thepurposes of illustration, and not intended to limit the scope of thepresent disclosure. For persons having ordinary skills in the art,multiple variations and modifications may be made under the teachings ofthe present disclosure. However, those variations and modifications donot depart from the scope of the present disclosure. In someembodiments, the auxiliary supporting body 560 may have any shape andsize. In some embodiments, the PET detection device 530 may be mountedon the supporting component 500 using a mechanical component (e.g., anail), or a chemical (e.g., an adhesive), or the like, or anycombination thereof.

FIG. 6 is an axial view of an exemplary connection between a PETdetection device and a connection board according to some embodiments ofthe present disclosure. The PET detection device 610 may correspond tothe PET detection device 130, the PET detection device 530, or a portionthereof.

As shown in FIG. 6, the connection board 650 may have a multi-layerstructure. In some embodiments, the connection board 650 may be acircuit board (e.g., a printed circuit board (PCB)). The manufacturingof the connection board 650 in the form of a PCB may be convenient. Insome embodiments, the connection board 650 may include a signalshielding component 620, an insulation component 630, and an RF coil640. The signal shielding component 620 may correspond to signalshielding component 170, or a portion thereof. The RF coil 640 maycorrespond to the RF coil 150, or a portion thereof.

The signal shielding component 620 may be mechanically attached to oneor more external surfaces of the PET detection device 610. As usedherein, a first component being mechanically attached or connected to asecond component indicates that the second component provides amechanical support to the first component. In some embodiments, thesignal shielding component 620 may include one or more shielding layers(e.g., metal layers). The shielding layer may include a first side and asecond side. The first side of the shielding layer may be mechanicallyattached to the insulation component 630 and the second side of theshielding layer may be mechanically attached to the PET detection device610. In some embodiments, the one or more shielding layers may be ofsame or different size(s), shape(s), and/or thickness(es). For example,the shielding layer between the PET detection device 610 and the RF coil640 may be thin while the shielding layer attached to the side surfacesor the top surface of the PET detection device 610 may be thick. In someembodiments, the RF coil 640 may be grounded via the signal shieldingcomponent 620. In other words, the signal shielding component 620 may begrounded for the RF coil 640, which may guarantee the operation safetyof the RF coil 640. The insulation component 630 placed between the RFcoil 640 and the signal shielding component 620 may be configured toelectrically insulate the RF coil 640 from the signal shieldingcomponent 620.

In some embodiments, the RF coil 640 may include a first number (orcount) of coil units. The PET detection device 610 may include a secondnumber (or count) of detection units. The first number (or count) may bethe same as or different from the second number (or count). The signalshielding component 620 may include a third number (or count) ofshielding units. The third number (or count) may be the same as or bedifferent from the first number (or count) and/or the second number (orcount). In some embodiments, a coil unit may be paired with a shieldingunit. A pair of a coil unit and a shielding unit may be installed on aconnection board unit. The connection board 650 may include a pluralityof connection board units. A connection board unit may be mechanicallyattached to one of the detection units. In some embodiments, the shapeand/or size of the connection board unit may be the same as or differentfrom the shape and/or size of the corresponding detection unit.

It should be noted that the connection between a PET detection deviceand a connection board shown in FIG. 6 is merely provided for thepurposes of illustration, and not intended to limit the scope of thepresent disclosure. For persons having ordinary skills in the art,multiple variations and modifications may be made under the teachings ofthe present disclosure. However, those variations and modifications donot depart from the scope of the present disclosure. For example, theinsulation component 630 may be omitted.

FIG. 7 is an axial sectional view of an exemplary MR-PET apparatusaccording to some embodiments of the present disclosure. In someembodiments, the MR-PET apparatus 700 may be an exemplary embodiment ofthe MR-PET apparatus 100 or a portion thereof.

As shown in FIG. 7, a supporting component 500 may include a firstsection 510 and a second section 520. The thickness of the secondsection 520 may be less than the thickness of the first section 510. Forexample, the second section 520 may be formed by making a groove orindentation (e.g., a groove 420) on the outer surface of the supportingcomponent 500. An auxiliary supporting body 560 may be placed in thegroove or indentation of the second section 520 of the supportingcomponent 500. A PET detection device 530 may be mechanically attachedon the outer surface of the supporting component 500 via one or moremounting devices 540 and one or more screws 550. The width of the PETdetection device 530 may be less than or equal to the width of thesecond section 520. A signal shielding component 710 may include ashielding layer attached to all external surfaces of the PET detectiondevice 530. An RF coil 720 may be attached to the inner surface of thesupporting component 500.

During a scanning of an object, a plurality of photons may be emittedfrom the object. At least part of the plurality of photons may betransmitted in a direction towards the PET detection device 530. Thesignal shielding component 710 may shield or block the at least part ofthe RF signals generated by the RF coil 720 from reaching the PETdetection device 530. Alternatively or additionally, the signalshielding component 710 may reduce the strength of the at least part ofthe RF signals such that the strength of the RF signal that penetratethrough the signal shielding component 710 does not harm or causeinference to the PET detection device 530. For example, the secondsection 520 and the auxiliary supporting body 560 may have a lowerattenuation rate of the photons than the first section 510. Accordingly,the one or more photons may reach the PET detection device 530 with lowattenuation. In some embodiments, the supporting component 500 may bemade of insulating materials and act as an insulation component asdescribed elsewhere in the present disclosure.

FIG. 8 is an axial sectional view of an exemplary MR-PET apparatusaccording to some embodiments of the present disclosure. In someembodiments, the MR-PET apparatus 800 may be an exemplary embodiment ofthe MR-PET apparatus 100 or a portion of the MR-PET apparatus 100. TheMR-PET apparatus 800 may be similar to the MR-PET apparatus 700 exceptthe second section 520 and the auxiliary supporting body 560 with alower attenuation rate of the photons are placed away from the PETdetection device 530 and closed to the RF coil 720. As shown in FIG. 8,the auxiliary supporting body 560 may be mechanically attached to the RFcoil 720.

The operations of the MR-PET apparatus 800 during a scanning of theobject, may be similar to the operations of the MR-PET apparatus 700 andare not repeated herein.

FIG. 9 is an axial sectional view of an exemplary MR-PET apparatusaccording to some embodiments of the present disclosure. In someembodiments, the MR-PET apparatus 900 may be an exemplary embodiment ofthe MR-PET apparatus 100 or a portion of the MR-PET apparatus 100. Asshown in FIG. 9, the MR-PET apparatus 900 may include the connectionboard 650 (e.g., a circuit board, a PCB) attached to a side of the PETdetection device 530 close to the object. The connection board 650 mayinclude the signal shielding component 620, the insulation component630, and the RF coil 640 as described elsewhere in the presentdisclosure (e.g., FIG. 6, and descriptions thereof). The width of theconnection board 650 may be the same as or different from the width ofthe PET detection device 530. The width of the connection board 650 maybe less than the width of the supporting component 500. The supportingcomponent 500 may include a first section 510. The PET detection device530 may be mechanically attached to the inner surface of the supportingcomponent 500 via one or more mounting devices 540 and one or morescrews 550. The MR-PET apparatus 900 may further include an inner plate600 placed away from the supporting component 500 (e.g., the inner plate600 is on a side of the supporting component 500 that is close to theobject). The inner plate 600 may form a patient bore (e.g., thedetection region 160), and the thickness of the inner plate 600 may beless than the thickness of the supporting component 500.

FIG. 10 is an axial sectional view of an exemplary MR-PET apparatusaccording to some embodiments of the present disclosure. In someembodiments, the MR-PET apparatus 1000 may be an exemplary embodiment ofthe MR-PET apparatus 100 or a portion of the MR-PET apparatus 100. TheMR-PET apparatus 1000 may be similar to the MR-PET apparatus 800 exceptthe connection board 650 is placed on a side of the supporting component500 away from the object. As shown in FIG. 10, the connection board 650may be attached to the surface of PET detection device 530. The shapeand/or size of the connection board 650 may be the same as that of thePET detection device 530.

During a scanning of an object, a plurality of photons may be emittedfrom the object. At least part of the plurality of photons may betransmitted in a direction towards the PET detection device 530. Thesignal shielding component 620 may shield or block the at least part ofthe RF signals generated by the RF coil 640 from reaching the PETdetection device 530. Alternatively or additionally, the signalshielding component 620 may reduce the strength of the at least part ofthe RF signals such that the strength of the RF signals that penetratesthrough the signal shielding component 620 does not harm or causeinference to the PET detection device 530. Since the RF signalspenetrate through the second section 520 of the supporting component 500when the RF signals are transmitted to the object or emitted from theobject. The second section 520 may be made of a material that can beeasily penetrated through by the RF signals such that the RF signals isnot blocked by the second section 520 of the supporting component 500.

FIG. 11 is an axial sectional view of an exemplary MR-PET apparatusaccording to some embodiments of the present disclosure. In someembodiments, the MR-PET apparatus 1100 may be an exemplary embodiment ofthe MR-PET apparatus 100 or a portion of the MR-PET apparatus 100. TheMR-PET apparatus 1100 may be similar to the MR-PET apparatus 1000 exceptthat the second section 520 and the auxiliary supporting body 560 with alower attenuation rate of the photons may be placed away from theconnection board 650.

Having thus described the basic concepts, it may be rather apparent tothose skilled in the art after reading this detailed disclosure that theforegoing detailed disclosure is intended to be presented by way ofexample only and is not limiting. Various alterations, improvements, andmodifications may occur and are intended to those skilled in the art,though not expressly stated herein. These alterations, improvements, andmodifications are intended to be suggested by this disclosure and arewithin the spirit and scope of the exemplary embodiments of thisdisclosure.

Moreover, certain terminology has been used to describe embodiments ofthe present disclosure. For example, the terms “one embodiment,” “anembodiment,” and/or “some embodiments” mean that a particular feature,structure or characteristic described in connection with the embodimentis included in at least one embodiment of the present disclosure.Therefore, it is emphasized and should be appreciated that two or morereferences to “an embodiment” or “one embodiment” or “an alternativeembodiment” in various portions of this specification are notnecessarily all referring to the same embodiment. Furthermore, theparticular features, structures or characteristics may be combined assuitable in one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.

Further, it will be appreciated by one skilled in the art, aspects ofthe present disclosure may be illustrated and described herein in any ofa number of patentable classes or context including any new and usefulprocess, machine, manufacture, or composition of matter, or any new anduseful improvement thereof. Accordingly, aspects of the presentdisclosure may be implemented entirely hardware, entirely software(including firmware, resident software, micro-code, etc.) or combiningsoftware and hardware implementation that may all generally be referredto herein as a “unit,” “module,” or “system.” Furthermore, aspects ofthe present disclosure may take the form of a computer program productembodied in one or more computer readable media having computer readableprogram code embodied thereon.

A computer readable signal medium may include a propagated data signalwith computer readable program code embodied therein, for example, inbaseband or as part of a carrier wave. Such a propagated signal may takeany of a variety of forms, including electro-magnetic, optical, or thelike, or any suitable combination thereof. A computer readable signalmedium may be any computer readable medium that is not a computerreadable storage medium and that may communicate, propagate, ortransport a program for use by or in connection with an instructionexecution system, apparatus, or device. Program code embodied on acomputer readable signal medium may be transmitted using any appropriatemedium, including wireless, wireline, optical fiber cable, RF, or thelike, or any suitable combination of the foregoing.

Computer program code for carrying out operations for aspects of thepresent disclosure may be written in a combination of one or moreprogramming languages, including an object oriented programming languagesuch as Java, Scala, Smalltalk, Eiffel, JADE, Emerald, C++, C#, VB. NET,Python or the like, conventional procedural programming languages, suchas the “C” programming language, Visual Basic, Fortran 2103, Perl, COBOL2102, PHP, ABAP, dynamic programming languages such as Python, Ruby andGroovy, or other programming languages. The program code may executeentirely on the user's computer, partly on the user's computer, as astand-alone software package, partly on the user's computer and partlyon a remote computer or entirely on the remote computer or server. Inthe latter scenario, the remote computer may be connected to the user'scomputer through any type of network, including a local area network(LAN) or a wide area network (WAN), or the connection may be made to anexternal computer (for example, through the Internet using an InternetService Provider) or in a cloud computing environment or offered as aservice such as a Software as a Service (SaaS).

Furthermore, the recited order of processing elements or sequences, orthe use of numbers, letters, or other designations, therefore, is notintended to limit the claimed processes and methods to any order exceptas may be specified in the claims. Although the above disclosurediscusses through various examples what is currently considered to be avariety of useful embodiments of the disclosure, it is to be understoodthat such detail is solely for that purpose and that the appended claimsare not limited to the disclosed embodiments, but, on the contrary, areintended to cover modifications and equivalent arrangements that arewithin the spirit and scope of the disclosed embodiments. For example,although the implementation of various components described above may beembodied in a hardware device, it may also be implemented as a softwareonly solution, for example, an installation on an existing server ormobile device.

Similarly, it should be appreciated that in the foregoing description ofembodiments of the present disclosure, various features are sometimesgrouped in a single embodiment, figure, or description thereof for thepurpose of streamlining the disclosure aiding in the understanding ofone or more of the various inventive embodiments. This method ofdisclosure, however, is not to be interpreted as reflecting an intentionthat the claimed subject matter requires more features than areexpressly recited in each claim. Rather, inventive embodiments lie inless than all features of a single foregoing disclosed embodiment.

In some embodiments, the numbers expressing quantities or propertiesused to describe and claim certain embodiments of the application are tobe understood as being modified in some instances by the term “about,”“approximate,” or “substantially.” For example, “about,” “approximate,”or “substantially” may indicate ±20% variation of the value itdescribes, unless otherwise stated. Accordingly, in some embodiments,the numerical parameters set forth in the written description andattached claims are approximations that may vary depending upon thedesired properties sought to be obtained by a particular embodiment. Insome embodiments, the numerical parameters should be construed in lightof the number of reported significant digits and by applying ordinaryrounding techniques. Notwithstanding that the numerical ranges andparameters setting forth the broad scope of some embodiments of theapplication are approximations, the numerical values set forth in thespecific examples are reported as precisely as practicable.

Each of the patents, patent applications, publications of patentapplications, and other material, such as articles, books,specifications, publications, documents, things, and/or the like,referenced herein is hereby incorporated herein by this reference in itsentirety for all purposes, excepting any prosecution file historyassociated with same, any of same that is inconsistent with or inconflict with the present document, or any of same that may have alimiting affect as to the broadest scope of the claims now or laterassociated with the present document. By way of example, should there beany inconsistency or conflict between the description, definition,and/or the use of a term associated with any of the incorporatedmaterial and that associated with the present document, the description,definition, and/or the use of the term in the present document shallprevail.

In closing, it is to be understood that the embodiments of theapplication disclosed herein are illustrative of the principles of theembodiments of the application. Other modifications that may be employedmay be within the scope of the application. Thus, by way of example, butnot of limitation, alternative configurations of the embodiments of theapplication may be utilized in accordance with the teachings herein.Accordingly, embodiments of the present application are not limited tothat precisely as shown and described.

We claim:
 1. A magnetic resonance (MR)-positron emission tomography (PET) apparatus, comprising: a supporting component; a PET detection device supported on the supporting component, the PET detection device being configured to receive a plurality of photons; an RF coil, configured to generate or receive a radio frequency (RF) signal; and a signal shielding component placed between the PET detection device and the RF coil, the signal shielding component being configured to shield the PET detection device from at least part of the RF signal.
 2. The MR-PET apparatus of claim 1, wherein the supporting component includes a first section and a second section, wherein the second section has a lower attenuation rate of the photons than the first section, and the PET detection device is positioned such that at least a portion of the plurality of photons penetrate through the second section and reach the detection device.
 3. The MR-PET apparatus of claim 2, wherein the supporting component including the first section and the second section is an integral body and the second section is thinner than the first section.
 4. The MR-PET apparatus of claim 3, wherein the first section and the second section are made of carbon fiber or glass fiber.
 5. The MR-PET apparatus of claim 2, wherein the supporting component further includes an auxiliary supporting body mechanically attached to the second section.
 6. The MR-PET apparatus of claim 5, wherein the auxiliary supporting body is made of a foam material or a honeycomb material.
 7. The MR-PET apparatus of claim 5, wherein the auxiliary supporting body has a lower attenuation rate of photons than the first section and the second section.
 8. The MR-PET apparatus of claim 1, wherein the signal shielding component is made of one or more electrically conductive materials.
 9. The MR-PET apparatus of claim 1, wherein the signal shielding component includes a shielding layer mechanically attached to at least part of an external surface of the PET detection device.
 10. The MR-PET apparatus of claim 1, wherein the signal shielding component includes a shielding layer having a first side and a second side, wherein the first side of the shielding layer is mechanically attached to the RF coil and the second side of the shielding layer is mechanically attached to the PET detection device.
 11. The MR-PET apparatus of claim 1, wherein the RF coil includes a first count of coil units, the PET detection device includes a second count of detection units, and the first count is the same as the second count.
 12. The MR-PET apparatus of claim 11, wherein the signal shielding component includes a third count of shielding units, and the third count is the same as the first count or the second count, and wherein each of the coil units are paired with one of the shielding units, each pair of a coil unit and a shielding unit are installed on a connection board unit, and each connection board unit is mechanically attached to one of the detection unit.
 13. The MR-PET apparatus of claim 1, wherein the signal shielding component includes a shielding layer having a first side and a second side, the first side of the shielding layer is mechanically attached to the RF coil, and the second side of the shielding layer is mechanically attached to the supporting component.
 14. The MR-PET apparatus of claim 1, further comprising: an electrical insulation component placed between the RF coil and the signal shielding component, the electrical insulation component being configured to electrically insulate the RF coil from the signal shielding component.
 15. The MR-PET apparatus of claim 1, wherein at least one of the signal shielding component, the RF coil, or an electrical insulation component is integrated on a same circuit board.
 16. The MR-PET apparatus of claim 1, wherein the PET detection device includes a plurality of detection units, the plurality of detection units being arranged in a ring shape.
 17. The MR-PET apparatus of claim 1, wherein the RF coil includes at least one of a dipole coil, a birdcage coil, a transverse electromagnetic coil, a loop coil, or a surface coil.
 18. The MR-PET apparatus of claim 1, wherein the signal shielding component has a configuration of a film or a mesh.
 19. The MR-PET apparatus of claim 1, further comprising: a gantry, configured to hold at least one of the supporting component, the PET detection device, the RF coil, or the signal shielding component, wherein an inner surface of the gantry forms a detection region, and the detection region is configured to accommodate an object.
 20. The MR-PET apparatus of claim 1, further comprising: a main magnet, configured to generate a main magnetic field; and a gradient magnet, configured to generate magnetic field gradients. 